Ultrasound Device Combined with Clot-Busting Drug Helps Ischemic Stroke Patients

A recent study looks at a hands-free ultrasound device combined with a clot-busting drug that's safe for ischemic patients.

According to researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, they found that the device, which is placed on the stroke patient's head to deliver ultrasound and enhance clot-busting drug tissue plasminogen activator, uses 18 probes that massage deep ares of the brain where large blood clots that cause stroke reside.

"Our goal is to open up more arteries in the brain and help stroke patients recover," said Barreto, an attending physician at Mischer Neuroscience Institute, via a press release. "This technology would have a significant impact on patients, families and society if we could improve outcomes by another 10 percent or more by adding ultrasound to patients who've already received tPA."

In the first study, researchers examined 20 moderately severe ischemic stroke patients-including 12 men and eight women with an average age range of 63 years. All of the participants received intravenous tPA for up to 4.5 hours after symptoms began and following two hour exposure to 2-MHx pulsed wave transcranial ultrasound.

They found that approximately 63 percent of the patients either returned home to rehabilitation 90 days after the combination treatment. They also found that following three months, five of the 20 patients had no disability from the stroke and one had slight disability.

More information regarding the study can be found via the release: "Cerevast Therapeutics has recently launched an 830-patient international, randomized efficacy study of the ultrasound approach combined with the clot buster in ischemic stroke. Barreto is the North American principal investigator for that Phase III study called Combined Lysis of Thrombus with Ultrasound and Systemic Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA) for Emergent Revascularization in Acute Ischemic Stroke (CLOTBUST-ER). Locally, patients will be recruited from Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital and Baptist Beaumont Hospital."